U.S. patent number 9,930,805 [Application Number 15/256,630] was granted by the patent office on 2018-03-27 for bracket and foolproof device thereof.
This patent grant is currently assigned to KING SLIDE TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD., KING SLIDE WORKS CO., LTD.. The grantee listed for this patent is KING SLIDE TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD., KING SLIDE WORKS CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to Ken-Ching Chen, Chun-Yi Ho, Chun-Chiang Wang, Shun-Ho Yang.
United States Patent |
9,930,805 |
Chen , et al. |
March 27, 2018 |
Bracket and foolproof device thereof
Abstract
A bracket is configured to be mounted to a post of a rack. The
bracket includes a side plate, an end plate, a first mounting
member and a foolproof device. The end plate is substantially
perpendicularly connected to the side plate. The first mounting
member is mounted to the end plate. The foolproof device is
arranged at a side of the end plate. When the bracket is placed at
a first mounting angle relative to the post, the fool proof device
does not interfere with the bracket, in order to allow the bracket
to be mounted to the post. When the bracket is placed at a second
mounting angle relative to the post, the foolproof device
interferes with the bracket, in order to prevent the bracket from
being mounted to the post.
Inventors: |
Chen; Ken-Ching (Kaohsiung,
TW), Yang; Shun-Ho (Kaohsiung, TW), Ho;
Chun-Yi (Kaohsiung, TW), Wang; Chun-Chiang
(Kaohsiung, TW) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
KING SLIDE WORKS CO., LTD.
KING SLIDE TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD. |
Kaohsiung
Kaohsiung |
N/A
N/A |
TW
TW |
|
|
Assignee: |
KING SLIDE WORKS CO., LTD.
(Kaohsiung, TW)
KING SLIDE TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD. (Kaohsiung,
TW)
|
Family
ID: |
58766289 |
Appl.
No.: |
15/256,630 |
Filed: |
September 5, 2016 |
Prior Publication Data
|
|
|
|
Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20170181543 A1 |
Jun 29, 2017 |
|
Foreign Application Priority Data
|
|
|
|
|
Dec 26, 2015 [TW] |
|
|
104143929 A |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47B
96/068 (20130101); H05K 7/1489 (20130101); A47B
88/423 (20170101); A47B 88/43 (20170101) |
Current International
Class: |
A47B
88/423 (20170101); H05K 7/14 (20060101); A47B
96/06 (20060101); A47B 88/43 (20170101) |
Field of
Search: |
;248/221.11,222.11,220.21,220.22 ;108/143,137,102
;312/330.1,334.1,334.5,334.8 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Wujciak; Alfred J
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Hsu; Winston
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A bracket of a slide rail assembly, configured to be mounted to
a rack, the bracket comprising: a side plate; an end plate
substantially perpendicularly connected to the side plate; a first
mounting member mounted to the end plate; and a foolproof device
arranged at a side of the end plate, the foolproof device
comprising a sliding block; wherein the sliding block of the
foolproof device is configured to be retracted into the end plate
by the rack when the bracket is placed at a first mounting angle
relative to the rack, in order to allow the first mounting member
to be mounted to the rack; wherein the sliding block of the
foolproof device is configured to be protruded from the end plate
to mechanically interfere with the rack for forming a gap between
the end plate and the rack when the bracket is placed at a second
mounting angle, which is different from the first mounting angle,
relative to the rack, in order to prevent the first mounting member
from being mounted to the rack.
2. The bracket of claim 1, further comprising a mounting base
mounted to the end plate, and connected to the first mounting
member.
3. The bracket of claim 2, wherein the end plate has a through
hole, the foolproof device comprises a sliding block and a
positioning member, a first room is formed in a first part of the
mounting base for accommodating the sliding block, a second room is
formed in a second part of the mounting base for accommodating the
positioning member; wherein when the bracket is placed at the first
mounting angle relative to the rack, the sliding block is movable
relative to the first room of the mounting base; wherein when the
bracket is placed at the second mounting angle relative to the
rack, the positioning member is moved to insert into an engagement
feature of the sliding block in order to prevent the sliding block
from moving relative to the first room of the mounting base, such
that the sliding block interferes with the rack.
4. The bracket of claim 3, wherein the foolproof device further
comprises an elastic member arranged in the first room of the
mounting base for providing an elastic force to the sliding block,
such that the sliding block is configured to partially pass through
the through hole of the end plate of the bracket in response to the
elastic force of the elastic member.
5. The bracket of claim 2, wherein an angle difference between the
first mounting angle and the second mounting angle is 180
degrees.
6. The bracket of claim 1, further comprising a second mounting
member mounted to the end plate of the bracket, and configured to
be mounted to the rack.
7. A bracket of a slide rail assembly, configured to mount a rail
to a post, the post having a plurality of mounting holes, the
bracket comprising: a side plate configured to be mounted to the
rail; an end plate having a through hole; a first mounting member
mounted to the end plate of the bracket; and a foolproof device
comprising a sliding block, a positioning member and an elastic
member, wherein the sliding block corresponds to the through hole
of the end plate, the sliding block has an engagement feature, the
positioning member corresponds to the engagement feature of the
sliding block, the elastic member is configured to provide an
elastic force to the sliding block such that the sliding block is
configured to partially pass through the through hole of the end
plate in response to the elastic force of the elastic member;
wherein the sliding block is configured to be retracted into the
through hole of the end plate by the post for compressing the
elastic member when the bracket is placed at a first mounting angle
relative to the post, in order to allow the first mounting member
to completely insert into one of the plurality of mounting holes
for mounting the rail to the post; wherein the sliding block is
configured to be protruded from the through hole of the end plate
to mechanically interfere with the post for forming a gap between
the end plate and the rack when the bracket is placed at a second
mounting angle, which is different from the first mounting angle,
relative to the post with the positioning member being engaged with
the engagement feature of the sliding block, in order to prevent
the first mounting element from being completely inserted into one
of the plurality of mounting holes of the post.
8. The bracket of claim 7, further comprising a locking member
operatively arranged at a locking position adjacent to the
post.
9. The bracket of claim 7, wherein an angle difference between the
first mounting angle and the second mounting angle is 180
degrees.
10. The bracket of claim 7, further comprising a second mounting
member mounted to the end plate of the bracket, and configured to
be mounted to the post.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bracket, and more particularly,
to a bracket with a foolproof function.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 7,694,926 B2 of Allen et al. discloses a rack
comprising a plurality of posts arranged symmetrically. A chassis
is mounted to left posts or right posts of the rack respectively by
a pair of slide rail assemblies, in order to mount the chassis to
the rack.
Therefore, the slide rail assembly has to be correctly mounted on a
left side or a right side of the rack when mounting the chassis to
the rack. Currently, a manufacturer of the slide rail assembly may
mark "R" or "L" on a rail of the slide rail assembly for indicating
that the slide rail assembly is configured to be mounted to the
left side or the right side of the rack. However, the slide rail
assembly may be mounted to a wrong side on the rack due to
carelessness of a user, so as to cause installation errors. The
installation errors may endanger safety of the user and equipment.
The present invention is provided to solve such problem.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a bracket and a foolproof device,
capable of preventing a bracket of a slide rail assembly from being
mounted to a wrong side on a rack.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, A bracket is
configured to be mounted to a rack, and the bracket comprises a
side plate, an end plate substantially perpendicular connected to
the side plate, a first mounting member mounted to the end plate,
and a foolproof device arranged at a side of the end plate.
Wherein, when the bracket is placed at a first mounting angle
relative to the rack, the foolproof device does not interfere with
the rack, in order to allow the first mounting member to be mounted
to the rack; when the bracket is placed at a second mounting angle
relative to the rack, the foolproof device interferes with the
rack, in order to prevent the first mounting member from being
mounted to the rack.
Preferably, the bracket further comprises a mounting base mounted
to the end plate, and connected to the first mounting member.
Preferably, the end plate of the bracket has a through hole, the
foolproof device comprises a sliding block and a positioning
member. A first room is formed in a first part of the mounting base
for accommodating the sliding block, and a second room is formed in
a second part of the mounting base for accommodating the
positioning member. When the bracket is placed at the first
mounting angle relative to the rack, the sliding block is movable
relative to the first room of the mounting base. When the bracket
is placed at the second mounting angle relative to the rack, the
positioning member is moved to insert into an engagement feature of
the sliding block in order to prevent the sliding block from moving
relative to the first room of the mounting base, such that the
sliding block interferes with the rack.
Preferably, the foolproof device further comprises an elastic
member arranged in the first room of the mounting base for
providing an elastic force to the sliding block, such that the
sliding block is configured to partially pass through the through
hole of the end plate of the bracket in response to the elastic
force of the elastic member.
Preferably, an angle difference between the first mounting angle
and the second mounting angle is 180 degrees.
Preferably, the bracket further comprises a second mounting member
mounted to the end plate of the bracket, and configured to be
mounted to the rack.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, a bracket
is configured to mount a rail to a post, the post having a
plurality of mounting holes. The bracket comprises a side plate
configured to be mounted to the rail, an end plate having a through
hole, a first mounting member mounted to the endplate of the
bracket, and a foolproof device comprising a sliding block, a
positioning member and an elastic member. The sliding block
corresponds to the through hole of the end plate, and the sliding
block has an engagement feature. The positioning member corresponds
to the engagement feature of the sliding block. The elastic member
is configured to provide an elastic force to the sliding block such
that the sliding block is configured to partially pass through the
through hole of the end plate in response to the elastic force of
the elastic member. Wherein, when the bracket is placed at a first
mounting angle relative to the post, the sliding block is pressed
by the post to retract for compressing the elastic member, in order
to allow the first mounting member to insert into one of the
plurality of mounting holes for mounting the rail to the post; when
the bracket is placed at a second mounting angle relative to the
post, the positioning member is moved to engage with the engagement
feature of the sliding block, such that the sliding block protrudes
through the through hole of the endplate to interfere with the
post, in order to prevent the first mounting element from being
inserted into one of the plurality of mounting holes of the
post.
Preferably, the bracket further comprises a locking member
operatively arranged at a locking position adjacent to the
post.
These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt
become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading
the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment that
is illustrated in the various figures and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a chassis being mounted to a rack by a
pair of slide rail assemblies according to an embodiment of the
present invention.
FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the slide rail assembly according to
an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an exploded view of a first bracket arranged with a
foolproof device according to an embodiment of the present
invention.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the foolproof device at a state when
the mounting base is placed at a first mounting angle according to
an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the foolproof device at a state when
the mounting base is at a second mounting angle according to an
embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the first bracket being placed toward
the post at the first mounting angle according to an embodiment of
the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the first bracket being mounted to the
post at the first mounting angle according to an embodiment of the
present invention.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the first bracket comprising a locking
member arranged at a locking position according to an embodiment of
the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the slide rail assembly being mounted
to the post according to an embodiment of the present
invention.
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the first bracket being placed toward
the post at the second mounting angle according to an embodiment of
the present invention.
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the first bracket being mounted to the
post at the second mounting angle according to an embodiment of the
present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
As shown in FIG. 1, a rack 10 comprises a plurality of posts 12
arranged symmetrically, and a chassis 14 is mounted to left posts
12 and right posts of the rack 10 respectively by a pair of slide
rail assemblies 16, in order to mount the chassis 14 to the rack
10.
As shown in FIG. 2, the slide rail assembly 16 of the present
invention comprises a first rail 18, a second rail 20 and a third
rail 22 movably arranged between the first rail 18 and the second
rail 20. The third rail 22 is configured to extend a travel
distance of the second rail 20 relative to the first rail 18.
Wherein, a first bracket 24 and a second bracket 26 are
respectively mounted to two ends of the first rail 18. The first
bracket 24 and the second bracket 26 are configured to mount the
slide rail assembly 16 to the rack 10.
As shown in FIG. 3, the first bracket 24 of the present invention
is arranged with a foolproof device 28. The first bracket 24
comprises a side plate 30 configured to be mounted to the first
rail 18, an endplate 32 substantially perpendicularly connected to
the sideplate 30, and a first mounting member 34 and a second
mounting member 36 respectively mounted to an upper part and a
lower part of the end plate 32. Wherein, the end plate 32 is formed
with a through hole 38. In a preferred embodiment, the first
bracket 24 of the present invention further comprises a mounting
base 40 mounted to the end plate 32 and connected to the first
mounting member 34 and the second mounting member 36. The foolproof
device 28 comprises a sliding block 42 and a positioning member 44.
A first room 46 is formed in a first part of the mounting base 40
for accommodating the sliding block 42. A second room 48 is formed
in a second part of the mounting base 40 for accommodating the
positioning member 44. The sliding block 42 corresponds to the
through hole 38 of the end plate 32 of the first bracket 24. In a
preferred embodiment, the foolproof device 28 of the present
invention further comprises an elastic member 50 arranged in the
first room 46 of the mounting base 40 for providing an elastic
force to the sliding block 42, such that the sliding block 42 is
configured to partially pass through the through hole 38 of the end
plate 32 in response to the elastic force of the elastic member 50.
Moreover, the sliding block 42 further has an engagement feature
52, such as an opening. The positioning member 44 corresponds to
the engagement feature 52 of the sliding block 42.
As shown in FIG. 4, the first mounting member 34 is located above
the second mounting member 36. In such state, the positioning
member 44 is located at a bottom of the second room 48 of the
mounting base 40, such that the sliding block 42 is movable within
the first room 46 of the mounting base 40.
As shown in FIG. 5, when the mounting base 40 is rotated 180
degrees, the second mounting member 36 is located above the first
mounting member 34. In such state, the positioning member 44 falls
into the engagement feature 52 of the sliding block 42 due to
gravity, such that the sliding block 42 is not movable within the
first room 46 of the mounting base 40.
As shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, one of the posts 12 of the rack 10
has a plurality of mounting holes 54. When the first bracket 24 is
mounted to the post 12 at the first mounting angle, the first
mounting member 34 is located above the second mounting member 36,
and the sliding block 42 partially passes through the through hole
38 of the end plate 32 in response to the elastic force of the
elastic member 50. Meanwhile, the foolproof device 28 does not
interfere with the rack 12, in order to allow the first mounting
member 34 and the second mounting member 36 of the first bracket 24
to be mounted to two of the mounting holes 54 of the post 12. In
detail, when the first bracket 24 is in a correct installation
state relative to the post 12, the positioning member 44 is located
at the bottom of the second room 48 of the mounting base 40.
Therefore, the sliding block 42 is movable within the first room 46
of the mounting base 40. As such, in the correct installation
state, the sliding block 42 can be pressed by the post 12 to
retract along a direction D1 for compressing the elastic member 50,
in order to allow the first mounting member 34 and the second
mounting member 36 of the first bracket 24 to be mounted to the
post 12.
As shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, in a preferred embodiment, the first
bracket 24 of the present invention further comprises a locking
member 56. The locking member 56 is operatively arranged between a
locking position and a unlocking position. Wherein, the locking
member 56 shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 is located at the locking
position and adjacent to the post 12, in order to allow the first
bracket 24 to be stably mounted to the post 12, so as to mount the
slide rail assembly 16 to the post 12. When the locking member 56
is located at the unlocking position (not shown), the locking
member 56 can be operatively moved away from the post 12, in order
to dismount the slide rail assembly 16 from the post 12.
As shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, the first bracket 24 is mounted to
the post 12 at the second mounting angle, wherein an angle
difference between the first mounting angle and the second mounting
angle is 180 degrees. Therefore, the second mounting member 36 is
located above the first mounting member 34. In such state, the
positioning member 44 falls into the engagement feature 52 of the
sliding block 42 due to gravity, such that the sliding block 42 is
not movable within the first room 46 of the mounting base 40, and
the sliding block 42 protrudes from the through hole 38 of the end
plate 32 of the first bracket 24. As such, the foolproof device 28
interferes with the post 12, such that a gap G is formed between
the first bracket 24 and the post 12, in order to prevent the first
mounting member 34 and the second mounting member 36 of the first
bracket 24 from being completely inserted into the mounting holes
54 of the post 12. In such wrong installation state, the locking
member 56 of the present invention cannot be operatively arranged
at the locking position relative to the post 12.
As mentioned above, when the bracket of the present invention is
placed at the first mounting angle relative to the rack 10, the
foolproof device 28 does not interfere with the rack 10, in order
to allow the first mounting member 34 and the second mounting
member 36 to be mounted to the rack 10. When the bracket is placed
at the second mounting angle relative to the rack 10, the foolproof
device 28 interferes with the rack 10, in order to prevent the
first mounting member 34 and the second mounting member 36 from
being mounted to the rack 10. That is to say, by mounting the
foolproof device 28 to the end plate 32, the bracket can be
selectively arranged to be able to be mounted to the rack 10 or
unable to be mounted to the rack 10 according to different mounting
angles. Therefore, the aforementioned foolproof device can
effectively prevent the bracket of the rail from being mounted to
the wrong side of the rack.
Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous
modifications and alterations of the device and method may be made
while retaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the
above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes
and bounds of the appended claims.
* * * * *